Pfizer Birth Control Recall Causes Panic

A US recall of a million packets of birth control has many women on edge, as manufacturing company Pfizer Inc. attempts damage control on what could be a very serious screw up.

The recall, which was announced Tuesday, involves 14 lots of Lo/Ovral-28 and 14 lots of generic versions Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol. It’s believed that some packets in the affected lots (which consist of 28-day cycles) had too many active tablets, while others had too few, or that the active and placebo pills may have been placed out of order in the packages.

The packaging failure is being blamed on both mechanical and visual inspection errors, and has since been remedied, but for women taking the affected pills, the damage may already be done. The incorrect dosages could lead to an increased risk of pregnancy.

The affected packets have expiration dates between July 31, 2013 and March 31, 2014. You can read the full recall and get specific lot numbers on the FDA website. Women who believe they have used the affected packs are urged to talk to their doctors immediately and to switch to a non-hormonal birth control method.

Since finding out about the error, Pfizer has been reaching out to women through social media and videos on their website. According to a video message from Pfizer Chief Medical Officer, only 30 packs out of the million are likely to be affected, but that the lots are being recalled in entirety as a precautionary measure.

Some are saying, however, that this error could lead women to mistrust birth control, and may cause them to turn their backs on what is typically a safe, effective birth control method.

What do you think, SureBaby readers? Would this type of scare cause you to change your methods? How would you deal with an unplanned pregnancy based on a birth control manufacturing error?